Tying and fastening device



1962 H. w. PATTERSON 3,048,906

'IYING AND FASTENING DEVICE Filed May 12, 1960 INVENTOR. fi/w/an Mg/mw 2.2" BY fit Affarnqy.

United States Patent @hfrce 3,48,96 Patented Aug. 14, 1962 3,648,906 TYING AND FASTENEJG DEVltCE Herman W. Patterson, 7209 W. 65th St, Gverland Park, Karts. Filed May 12, 1960, Ser. No. 28,603 1 Claim. (Cl. 24-ll6) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in tying and fastening devices, and has particular reference to a tying and fastening device of the type comprising an elastic loop in the nature of a rubber band, said loop having an enlarged head secured exteriorly thereto and preferably integrally therewith. In use, the reaches of the loop are passed coextensively about the object or bundle of objects to be secured, and the head is passed through the bight portion of the loop, wherein it is secured by the fact of its enlargement, and by the fact that said head has notches formed therein in which the loop bight engages and is retained by the elastic tension of the loop. The principal advantage of this type of fastener over the usual rubber band is that it need not be passed around the ends of the objects to be bound or fastened, and thus may be used where said ends are entirely inaccessible or are inconveniently disposed. Common usages are to fasten ladies and girls hair in the ponytail style, to fasten vines, plants, and the like to trellises, arbors, etc., and to close the mouths of bags, sacks, and the like, but the device clearly has a multitude of possible usages.

Fastening devices of the type above described have previously been proposed, but all of them to my knowledge have been subject to a common disadvantage and diiiiculty of operation in that they are rather difficult to release when desired. The accepted mode of releasing this type of fastener is to enlarge the loop bight so that the head may pass therethrough, and/or to twist the head, which is usually planar in the same plane as the loop, so that a narrow edge thereof is presented to the loop so as to pass more freely therethrough. Both of these functions may be obtained by grasping either reach of the loop at a point adjacent the head and pulling outwardly. However, the loop reaches are quite often under considerable tension and lie directly together, whereby it is difficult and tedious to separate the reaches so that the user can grasp and pull one of them, especially when vision also is difficult, as when the fastener is secured in the user's own hair, or embedded in the folds of a sack, or concealed by the foliage of a vine or plant.

The principal object of the present invention, therefore, is the provision of means greatly facilitating the release of fastening devices of the type described.

Another object is the provision of a tying and fastening device of the type described having an enlarged pull or finger tab secured to the elastic strand forming the loop portion thereof, at a point spaced apart from the head portion thereof, whereby to facilitate release.

A further object is the provision of a pull tab in a device of the character described, said tab being disposed adjacent but spaced apart from a point of the loop strand which is equidistant from said head, whereby to reduce the possibility that said tab will be disposed directly against said head when the device is secured.

A still further object is the provision of a device of the character described wherein are utilized a pair of said pull tabs secured to said loop strand in spaced apart relation along said strand, thereby providing that at least one of said tabs will be disposed in spaced apart relation from the head when the device is secured.

Other objects are simplicity and economy of construction, efiiciency and dependability of operation, and adaptability for use in a wide variety of applications.

With these objects in veiw, as well as other objects which will appear in the course of the specification, reference will be had to the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a face elevational view of a tying and fastoning device embodying the present invention,

'FIG. 2 is an edge view of the device as shown in FIG. 1,

'FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the device secured in operative position, and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing a slightly modified form of construction.

Like reference numerals apply to similar parts throughout the several views, and the numeral 2 applies generally to the tying and fastening device forming the subject matter of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 1-3. Said device comprises an elongated loop formed of a strand 4 of elastic rubber or other suitable material. Said loop comprises a pair of generally parallel reaches 6 and 8 connected at one end by a bight portion 10 and at their opposite ends by a bight portion 12. EX- tending outwardly from the bight it of the loop, and in the plane of the loop, is a neck 14 at the outer end of which is carried a head 16. The neck and head are preferably formed of the same material as strand 4-, and integrally therewith. Head 16 is planar in form, lying normally in the same plane as the loop, and is provided with a pair of hook portions 18 extending along neck 14 toward the loop, respectively at opposite sides of and in spaced relation from said neck. Thus a pair of reentrant notches 24) are formed between said hook portions and said neck, at opposite sides of the neck. Affixed integrally to bight portion 12 of the loop are a pair of spaced apart pull tabs 22. Said tabs extend exteriorly of the loop, and are spaced equidistantly from the center point of bight 12, that is, from a point equidistant from head 16 in either direction along strand 4. Thus each tab 22. is spaced unequally from head 16 when measured along strand 4 in opposite directions, for a purpose which will presently appear.

In use, both of reaches 6 and 8 of the loop are passed coextensively under tension, around the object or objects to be secured, and head 16 is passed through bight 12. Said bight engages around neck 14, and in notches 20 of head 16, as shown in FIG. 3. The device is then securely fastened. The head is prevented from pulling through bight l2 firstly by the fact of its enlargement, and secondly by the engagement of said bight in head notches 2d. Particularly, the notches prevent the head from twisting around neck 14 as an axis, which could permit the plane of said head to align itself with the loop opening, through which it could then pass, causing accidental or excessively easy release.

Intentional release of the device is affected by grasping either of pull tabs 22 and pulling outwardly in a direction away from head 16 and away from the object or objects about which the device is secured. This afifects release both by enlarging the opening of the bight, so that the head may slip through it more easily, and also, by tensioning the portion of strand 4 in direct contact with neck 14, tends to twist head 16 so that its plane is aligned with the loop opening.

The placement of tabs 22 is of considerable importance. If there were provided only a single pull tab, positioned normally at the point of strand 4 directly opposite neck 14, then there would be a strong likelihood that the tab would be lodged directly behind neck 14 when the device was secured as shown in FIG. 3. This would be undesirable t'or at least two reasons. Firstly, with the tab so positioned, directly against the head, it would be difiicult for the user to locate and grasp, particularly if the user is using only the sense of touch, as a lady does when removing such a fastener from her hair. Secondly, the

disposition of the pull tab directly behind neck 14 is disadvantageous in securing easy release. Pulling the tab away from the neck has no tendency to open the bight wider, nor does it exert a twisting torque on neck 114 to twist the head into alignment with the loop opening. Release in this manner thus requires simply an overpowering force suflicient to deform the head by main force sufficiently to force it through the loop. This requires excessive force, results in frequent breakage of the bands when effecting release, and causes discomfort from having the highly tensioned rubber snap against the bare finger.

This has been overcome in the present device by placing each tab 22 at a point spaced apart from the midpoint of strand 4, considering neck 14 as the point of origin of the strand. Thus if the device is applied with reaches 6 and 8 of the strand in equal tension, the tabs 22 will both be positioned in spaced relation from head 16, so as to be positioned to be grasped easily and to atfect an easy release when pulled. However, it is quite possible, and in most cases rather probable, that the device will be secured with the strands 6 and 8 unequally tensioned, due to the fact that the device is usually attached by inserting a finger through the loop, and that the finger naturally rotates in the motion of wrapping the loop around the objects to be secured. If strands 6 and 8 are unequally tensioned, and only one pull tab were used, said tab might lodge directly against neck 14 even if it were disposed non-centrally of the strand. For this reason two tabs are used, since no matter how unequally the reaches 6 and 8 may be stretched, and even if one of tabs 22 does as a result lodge against neck 14, the other tab will always be free of the head to provide efiicient release as previously described.

The modified structure shown in FIG. 4 is substantially identical with that of FIG. 1, corresponding parts thereof being designated by corresponding primed numerals, except for the fact that the reaches 6' and 8 of the strand 4 are joined directly to head 16, rather than through the intermediary of a neck as shown at 14 in FIG. 1. The division between the strands extends upwardly into head 16' to an elevation above the upper ends of notches 20', as indicated at 24. Other minor ditferences between heads 16 and 16 are matters of design only. In operation, the FIG. 4 modification differs from that of FIG. 1 in that when the device is applied, the bight 12' encircles reaches 6 and 8' directly adjacent the head, rather than neck 14. Functionally, this difference provides that when one of tabs 22 is pulled to release the fastener, the torque or twist exerted by bight 12 tends to displace the strands 6' and 8' relative to each other, in a direction transverse to the plane of the head. This displacement of the strands forming the double-strand neck broadens said neck, so that bight 12' acts on a neck of greater width, thereby supplying a greater torque and turning the head more easily into alignment with the loop opening for easier release. Also, the relative displacement of the strands 6 and 8 tends to cause easier deformation of the head so as to pass through the loop more readily. Said displacement of reaches 6 and 8 is rendered easier by the upward extension of the division between the reaches into the body portion of the head as shown. Otherwise than just described, the operation of the FIG. 4 modification is substantially identical to that of the PEG. 1 species.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, it Will be readily apparent that many minor changes of structure and operation could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

A tying and fastening device comprising a strand of elastic material forming a loop having a bight portion, an enlarged head formed integrally with and secured exteriorly to said loop, said head being planar and being no thicker than the strand forming said loop, measured at right angles to the plane of said loop, said head also defining a pair of notches disposed respectively at opposite sides of the point of attachment of said strand and opening toward said loop, whereby said loop may be passed about an object and secured thereabout by passing said head through the bight portion of said loop, whereupon said bight portion is disposed in said notches, and a pair of pull tabs formed integrally with and extending outwardly from said loop, said tabs being disposed in spaced apart relation at opposite sides of a central point of said strand directly opposite the point of attachment of said head thereto, and substantially closer to said central point than to said head, whereby when said loop is secured about an object as described, at least one of said tabs will be disposed in spaced apart relation from said head, and whereby when said last named tab is pulled, the tension in the bight portion of said strand will twist said head to align the plane thereof with the opening of said loop, thereby to aifect easy release of the fastener.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 876,402 Schacht Ian. 14, 1908 1,282,468 Scheel Oct. 22, 1918 2,648,879 Patterson Aug. 18, 1953 2,943,371 Patterson July 5, 1960 2,969,216 Hallsey Jan. 24, 196i 

